I was in 8th grade and had absolutely no idea what I was doing besides the two basic concepts that I loved reading and I wanted to talk about books. For the past year, I’ve been on an unexpectedly long hiatus from blogging. I actually considered calling it quits at one point because I couldn’t find my drive to continue to blog. I even drafted many posts throughout the previous summer.

I’m now a freshman in college and I still have no idea what I’m doing, but I do know that I love being part of this community too much to leave, and I most definitely want to continue blogging. Talking to people over the past months about books and blogging has definitely reminded me of why I started blogging in the first place. However, I have decided that it’s time to retire the name Vy’s Blog and do a complete makeover.

I’ve grown significantly as an individual over the past years, and I want my blog to reflect my growth. I’ve been tinkering with changing Vy’s Blog’s design, platform, etc, for the past few months, but I believe it’s time for a bigger change. My 19 going on 20 self is definitely approaching blogging differently than my 14 going on 15 self from years ago. The fact I’ve kept my placeholder name of Vy’s Blog already says volumes about how indecisive I felt, but I’m excited to see where this goes.

I’ve been playing around with the idea of "restarting" this blog for a while, and I want to thank my Threadsisters (Jen, Willa, and Aneeqah) for supporting me with this new change. Thank you for talking me through my late night ideas when I started a text off with "I'm ready to be a blogger again."

For the next month I’ll be brainstorming and re-branding myself (cheers to learning from past mistakes), and hopefully my blog will go live in the coming months. That being said I do want to thank everyone who’s been sticking around and keeping me company on twitter. For the time being I'll be buried deep in studying until this quarter is over, and will go back to the drawing board during spring break. As usual you can find me on Twitter!

Game of Thrones meets the Grimm's fairy tales in this twisted, fast-paced romantic fantasy-adventure about Sleeping Beauty's daughter, a warrior princess who must fight to reclaim her throne.

Though she looks like a mere mortal, Princess Aurora is a fairy blessed with enhanced strength, bravery, and mercy yet cursed to destroy the free will of any male who kisses her. Disguised as a boy, she enlists the help of the handsome but also cursed Prince Niklaas to fight legions of evil and free her brother from the ogre queen who stole Aurora's throne ten years ago.

Will Aurora triumph over evil and reach her brother before it's too late? Can Aurora and Niklaas break the curses that will otherwise forever keep them from finding their one true love? [goodreads]

AT A GLANCE

A faery blessed (cursed) princess is disguised as a boy to save her brother

and kingdom with the help of a witch cursed prince. YES.

THOUGHTS

I can’t remember the last time I read a standalone fantasy. After reading series after series, it was nice to know the story would start and end in one book.

Stacy Jay writes a captivating fantasy about Sleeping Beauty’s daughter, Aurora. The story begins with a confusing prologue that sets the backstory. I have to admit I was about to put off this book mid-prologue, but Jen from Books and Other Happily Ever Afters convinced me to continue. I owe Jen for the push because I ended up finishing Princess of Thorns in one sitting.

THE STORY:

Princess of Thorns tells the story of the two siblings fighting to take back their home and free their people from the evil who stole their throne ten years ago. Aurora is a headstrong, independent Princess who doesn’t take no for an answer. Growing up in the harsh reality without her mother, Aurora has been molded into princess who isn’t afraid of getting in the ring to fight --figuratively and literally. On a mission to save her brother and reclaim her throne, Aurora finds an unlikely ally in Prince Niklaas by deceiving him to believe she’s the lost Prince.

THE CHARACTERS:

Where Aurora is ice cold and cautious, Niklaas is all warmth and charm. Niklaas, believing the princess is the prince, protects Aurora like a brother. He is caring but also cunning as his own agenda isn’t as selfless as it seems. Praise goes to Stacey Jay for the effortless relationship between Aurora and Niklaas. Their friendship evolved naturally and believably from cold strangers to “brothers”. The shift from Prince to Princess was also natural, and I love the transition in Niklaas’ attitude towards Aurora throughout the story.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

I would think by now I’d be weary of series, but I actually wouldn’t mind reading Princess of Thorns as a series. This book is highly entertaining, but I felt the story was rushed with a lack of backstory that made the world difficult to grasp. I want to know more about the ogres, witches, faeries, and royalty introduced in the story. Although a standalone limits the opportunity to further the world building, I am still pleased with how the book ended. Jay succeeds in tying loose ends in a satisfying conclusion. I definitely recommend Princess of Thorns to my series-weary friends who are looking for an engrossing fantasy with charming characters.

Overall: 4 out of 5

I'm keeping my goal for 2015 of writing a review before starting a new book. Lets hope I can keep this habit going! How are YOU handling the new year? What are your thoughts on 'PRINCESS OF THORNS"?

Each month will be a different combination of recommendations between Willa, Jen, Aneeqah, and I. For January, I am recommending THE RETRIBUTION OF MARA DYER by Michelle Hodkin for Willa. Mara Dyer is one of my favorite series of all time, and I can't wait for Willa to finish the series so we can cry discuss the book together. Jen is recommending me a book this month, and she's recommending THE BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING by Robyn Schneider. This seems appropriate for the new year. I've only been hearing great things about Schneider's book and can't wait to begin.

This week's topic: Top Ten Goals for 2015
Looking back at 2014, I realized I haven't participated in a TOP TEN TUESDAY since February. What better way to ease back into blogging than completing a Top Ten list?

1. WRITING A REVIEW BEFORE READING A NEW BOOK

I've always said I'll write a review right after finishing a book, but clearly that's getting me no where. This year I'll be borrowing Jen's method (Jen from Books & Other Happy Ever Afters). Before Jen starts a new book, she reviews her most recent finished read. Hopefully I won't fall behind on reviewing next year.

3. STOP WRITING POSTS AT 1AM
Does anyone else cringe while reading their past blog posts? I have to stop writing posts late at night. I never realized the drastic difference between my writing skills at 1pm and 1am until recently.

4. DOCUMENT BOOK EVENTS
I am incredibly fortunate to live near a Powell's book store. I've had the chance to attend book events and meet with some of my favorite authors. Every time I attend I'm always careful to take pictures, but I never remember to jot down notes. Some of the best advice I've received were at these events, but rarely did I think to write them down. For 2015, I'll be adding a notebook and a pen with my camera bag.

5. CONTINUE VY’S BOOKS
A project I began this year was VY'S BOOKS, an instagram account in which I shared quick thoughts on books and attempt to use more camera more.

6. READ NON-YA BOOKS
I usually don't read outside of YA unless it's for a school assignment. I plan on making an effort to broaden my reading tastes.

7. READ 100 BOOKS

For the past 3 years I've been reading a 100+ books a year, but this year I barely graced 40 books.

8. READ THE HARRY POTTER SERIES
I know, I know. I've been hounded by many about my failure.

9. TAKING NOTES WHILE READING

There have been way too many instances in which have I sat down to write a review but then remember nothing about the book.

10. COMPLETE A READING CHALLENGE

For the past years, I've only been participating in the goodreads challenge and neglecting the other challenges. Annie from The Runaway Reader) made a great post, "The 2015 Challenge Masterlist", including a variety of reading challenges that I might consider. I've also found the popsugar 2015 challenge that seems interesting. Anyone care to join me?

Looks like 2014 was the year of endings. No wonder I've been an emotional mess.

5. The Treatmentby Suzanne Young
I finished both The Program and The Treatment in two days! I can always count on Suzanne for some angsty romance.

6. Isla and the Happily Ever Afterby Stephanie Perkins
It has been a pleasure reading about these characters. Reading this on the plane was probably not the best idea as tears were streaming down my face.

7. The Retribution of Mara Dyerby Michelle Hodkin
I still remember the day I received the ARC of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer my freshman year. After 4 years, the story of Mara dyer has come to an end, and I couldn't be happier with how Hodkin finished the story.

It's about time I created my Top 14 with only 5 days left before 2015. As usual, I made my way over to my goodreads to select my books. I noticed something surprising when I checked my account. As everyone is finishing up their goodreads challenges, I noticed I am only at 35 books this year. THIRTY FIVE. I guess it's still a good amount, but compared to my last few years of finishing 100+ books, 35 books is an incredibly sad number.

Unfortunately, this number makes sense as the end of senior year is quickly approaching. (How are my fellow senior bloggers doing?) The blog will continue to be slow as I finish up the last of my college apps. Fortunately I still have a little over a week left to read and blog. I know I missed many great 2014 titles and planning on squeezing in few more reads before 2015.

What are some of your favorite 2014 titles that I definitely need to read?